Dwarves
Dwarves are an industrious, mildly eusocial race that prefers subterranean environments. The perception of Dwarves as gruff, stoic, insular, beer-swilling, agoraphobic miners is a common one with surface races, but it is misleading. Rather than being agoraphobic, Dwarves lack the instinctual fear of closed-in spaces and the dark that other races have. Dwarves are also extremely close to their families, and when away from them tend to be constantly worrying, making them seem humourless and curt to their companions. Also, alcohol acts primarily as an anxiety reliever for Dwarves rather than an intoxicant, so when under stress, like the stress of being away from their families, they tend to drink a lot. Dwarves are, however, miners and craftsmen as skilled as their reputation says they are. Dwarves are connected to the earth and stone in both a mystical and evolutionary sense. They burrow instinctively, and have a natural ‘feel’ for where ores might be found. Like Gnomes, Dwarves have a knack for engineering. Unlike Gnomes they tend to plan projects carefully and stick to the original design, no matter what new idea they come across in the process of building. As a result, Dwarven-made crafts are solid and reliable but rarely change. Much like Dwarven societies. Physical Description Dwarves average four and a quarter feet in height and 170 pounds, with women only slightly smaller than men. They tend to be stocky with thick, wide torsos and arms. It is the rare Dwarf who is actually fat, though they often gain heavy muscles. Though Dwarven women do not grow facial hair, like the beards Dwarven men are famous for, both sexes do have thick body hair which young Dwarves often take to dying in clan colours. While most Dwarves appear homely to other races, they are rarely outright ugly unless it’s because of some deformity or injury. Dwarves usually have darker skin tones, from tan brown to midnight black. Dwarves have dark brown or black hair and black or brown eyes. Racial Traits *'Ability Score Racial Traits': Dwarves are both tough and wise, but also a bit gruff. They gain +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, and –2 Charisma. *'Size': Dwarves are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size. *'Type': Dwarves are humanoids with the dwarf subtype. *'Base Speed': (Slow and Steady) Dwarves have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance. *'Languages': Dwarves begin play speaking Common, Dwarven and their regional language. Dwarves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, and Undercommon. *'Defensive Training': Dwarves gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant subtype. *'Hardy': Dwarves gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities. *'Stability': Dwarves gain a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground. *'Greed': Dwarves gain a +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks made to determine the price of non-magical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones. *'Stonecunning': Dwarves gain a +2 bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking. *'Darkvision': Dwarves can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet. *'Hatred': Dwarves gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the goblinoid subtype because of their special training against these hated foes. *'Weapon Familiarity': Dwarves are proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon. Category:Races